Fitting In
by CosmicalMadison
Summary: When Megan discovers her mutant powers by killing a classmates, she is sure she will never fit in anywhere. At the school for mutants, she thinks she has a chance, though she will have to work harder than she knows to make a place for herself even here.
1. Prologue: Discovery

**_Title:_ **Fitting In (working title)

**_Author:_ **CosmicalMadison

**_Summary:_ **When Megan Barnes discovers her mutant powers by accidentally killing one of her classmates, she is sure she will never fit in anywhere. When Professor X invites her to his school, she thinks she has a chance, though she will have to work harder than she knows to make a place for herself even here. OC-based.

**_Rating:_ **T

**_Genre:_ **Friendship, school, adventure

**_Author's Note:_ **I'm planning for this to be pretty long, and to run alongside the whole trilogy, so here's hoping you stick around that long! Also, I'm open to title suggestions, as I don't especially like the one I have. It seems too generic. Last but not least, please suggest any specific events from the movies you'd like to see in these fics. Thanks for your help!

**Prologue: Discovery**

I was twelve when I first discovered my powers, and I was one of the unfortunate ones. It happened like this.

I had always been the geeky one, wearing glasses and doing my homework while everyone else was over at a friend's house or out at the movies. One day a boy named Richie Anderson walked by my house when I was out in the yard and started to tease me about how I didn't have any friends.

It hurt me so bad that I was just about crying - because it was true. I never talked to anyone at school, and no one who knew me would have been willing to call themselves my friend.

As tears welled up in my eyes, I started to turn away and noticed that the neighbor's pitbull was tied up in the next yard. The vengeful thought filled my mind before I could really think it through: how good it would feel to see the animal tear up this mean boy who was tormenting me.

In the blink of an eye, something awful happened. The dog suddenly began barking and growling like crazy, and pulling at its chain. Then, with a sudden _snap_, its tether broke! The huge animal came running toward Richie. The boy tried to run, but didn't have a chance.

I watched, terrified, yet entranced, as my very wish was answered. Within a minute, Richie Anderson was no more. The monster of a dog tore him to pieces before I could even scream.

Later, onlookers would say that I taunted the dog until he attacked and unchained him myself. I held that I was innocent, but few believed me, even my own family. Everyone knew I had no love of the boy whose life had been lost, though only a select few were smart enough to know that I could never bring myself to kill anyone.


	2. Mutants Alike

**Chapter One: Mutants Alike**

It was only a few days later that I met two people who would change the course of my life as dramatically as that first fateful incident.

Rumors had been swirling about Richie's death, and I was a wanted woman. I had barely been able to live the house for fear of some kind of verbal or, possibly, physical attack, so at the time I was sitting in the living room watching a movie. I suddenly heard the purr of an engine outside. I turned to see a sleek maroon-colored Mercedes-Benz slip into our driveway and was instantly curious. Mom and Dad weren't expecting company, at least that I was aware of, and I didn't recognize the vehicle anyway.

I watched with childish fascination as a tall woman with dark skin got out of the driver's side of the car and came around to the other side. She had the most unusual hair, long and wavy and snow white. I thought she was most beautiful person I had ever seen. As I watched, she opened the back door and took out an object, which unfolded to become a wheelchair. She then opened the front passenger door and helped another person into it.

When she stepped away, I got my first look at him. He seemed old, much older than, say, my parents, but had none of the decay of some grandparents I had seen. He features were sharp and noble, and he was bald. Whatever had happened to take away the use of his legs, it hadn't sapped any of his dignity. I though that if he were sitting on a throne instead of the wheelchair and had on a fancy cape instead of the dark gray suit he wore, he could have passed for a king in any of the historical movies I had seen.

Frozen in wonder and curiousness, I didn't move from my place by the door as the two moved toward the door, the man pushing his motorized chair forward with purpose and determination as the woman followed respectively behind. The feeling was only broken when interrupted by the sharp ding! of the doorbell. I hastily jumped to my feet to answer it.

Cautious about the strangers, I only opened the door a few inches before asking, "Can I help you?"

A look of annoyance crossed the woman's face but was quickly smoothed over. "You weren't expecting us?" she asked carefully.

The man's expression didn't change as he looked up at me. There was a perpetual air of calmness about him and also a sense of sternness - he wouldn't accept nonsense when he had business to do.

"Hello, Megan," said, and that startled me beyond imagining. Not because he had used my name, which he didn't have any reason to know, but because I realized that the man hadn't really spoken at all. I had been looking at his face at the time, and his lips hadn't moved. The communication had been in my mind.

I jumped back reflexively as a tremor swept through my body. "H-how did you do that?" I demanded, my voice shaking.

A slight smile slipped across his face. Because I am a mutant, Megan, just like you. We both are. He was referring to the woman with him, I knew.

At first, this relieved me. Of course I had heard about mutants on the news, but I had never met any in real life before. Then what he had actually said hit me: a mutant, just like you.

"Me? A mutant?" I cried. "No way!"

He nodded solemnly. "How else do you think you controlled that dog and ended up causing the death of Richie Anderson?"

"I…I…" I stammered, at a loss for words. "I thought that was just an accident…A coincidence."

The man shook his head, looking a little sad. Not so, my dear. It was very disconcerting to have him constantly switching between speaking aloud and communicating inside my mind. I wished he would stop, but I wasn't about to say that. It's nothing to be ashamed of, Megan.

"How do you know my name?" I asked him. "And what are you doing here, anyway?"

He smiled again. "You learn the answers to those questions in due time. For now, are you going to invite us in?"

I blushed and murmured, "Sure," as I pushed the door open wide. The woman rolled her companion inside, and just as I was closing the door again, Mom and Dad came into the room.

Both of my parents' mouths immediately fell open in surprise. "Megan Lilyana Barnes," my father asked sternly, using my full name which meant I was in trouble, "who are these people?"

"Allow me to explain, Mr. Barnes," the man in the wheelchair supplied. "My name is Professor Charles Xavier. I run a school in upper New York for mutants, like your daughter, and I've come to tell you about it, and possibly take her back with me if you agree to let her attend.

Dad's mouth dropped open, and I knew what he was thinking. He had suspected that I was some kind of mutant all along, but it was a totally different thing to have someone else confirm it aloud.

After a moment, he recovered enough to say, "And how do you know that Megan is a mutant, Professor? I've never seen either you before in my life. How did you find us?"

"Being a mutant myself, Mr. Barnes," Xavier answered calmly, "I have my ways of discovering things that are important." He was silent for a moment, and I had a feeling that he was demonstrating his mental powers to my father. A quick glance at Dad and the look of utter and complete shock on his face told me that I had been right.

"Now," the Professor continued. "Allow me to tell you about my school."

Mom and Dad looked at each other for a few moments, a silent conversation passing between them. Finally, my mother said hesitantly, "All right. Please come in," and led the way into the living room.

Once there, my parents sat down in two arm chairs while the white-haired woman pushed the Professor into an open space before sitting down on the end of the couch near him. There was no where else to sit, so I seated myself on the opposite end, still more than a little intimidated by our two strange visitors. She flashed me a look that was half amusement, half sympathy before turning back to her companion.

"My school, the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, is essentially a haven for mutant children. Here your daughter would be given a general education while also being taught to use her powers responsibly and not be danger to others or herself. She will have to opportunity to meet new friends of her own kind and learn to be proud of who she is."

"It sounds wonderful," my mother said. "Tell us more."

He did. We learned about the specific courses offered, how the teachers were all mutant themselves and experienced in the field, extra-curriculars, student life, and costs. The Professor's companion, Ororo Munroe, who tuned out to be able to control the weather, told us about her own experiences growing up at the school and that she highly recommended it.

I listened to all of this with great interest. Of course I would have liked to go, and my parents seemed interested, but I didn't know if it was possible. After all, New York was a long way from the little town in Wisconsin where I loved, and an education, even a mutant one, wasn't free.

When my parents had finished asking all of their questions, they turned to me. "Megan, dear," my mother asked softly, "what do you think?"

I wasn't sure how to answer at first, but when everyone else turned to look at me expectantly, I answered, "It sounds great."

"Would you like to go?" my father asked seriously.

I could only blink at him. My parents had only just heard of this school, and they already wanted to send me there? "I suppose so," I answered slowly, really thinking about it. "It might be fun."

I saw a fleeting look pass between the two of them and suddenly realized something. Mom and Dad wanted me to go to the school - and not just for my own sake. Sure, they wanted for my happiness and security, but they also had to think of themselves. I wasn't naïve. I had seen the news, the lynching and pipe bombs directed not only at mutants themselves, but also at the friends and family who sheltered them.

I could let that happen to my parents, and so my decision was made.


	3. The School for Mutants

**AN:** Just one quick question on this one. I feel like the decision for Megan to go to the school was really rushed. I mean, if you heard about a school would you just up and send your kid there an hour later? Tell me what you think. You help and feedback is always appreciated!

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Chapter Two: The School for Mutants

Things happened very quickly after that. Prices were discussed. A check was written to cover my first semester. I was sent upstairs to my room to pack.

It was all very disconcerting. I still wasn't exactly sure that I _wanted_ to go, but of course by this time I had no choice. I worked on convincing myself that it was going to be great to go to a school where everyone accepted me and didn't avoid me all the time for fear that I would just up and sick a random dog on them if I got angry.

It would also be nice to not have everyone know that I had inadvertently caused the death of another person, though I was sure that that would get out eventually. How would they all take it? I tried not to think about it.

Eventually it was time to go. It had been decided that I would go back with Professor Xavier and Miss Munroe, because my parents couldn't really afford to send me at a later date, and, anticipating their response and out of his great generosity, Xavier had already secured a seat on the plane for me.

Goodbyes were horrible, especially since this was so sudden. We hadn't even had time to talk. I knew I was going to miss Mom and Dad horribly. I had never been away from home save for a weekend camp a few years ago, and a case of severe homesickness had ruined that almost immediately.

Xavier and Miss Munroe had already gone outside to wait in the car and give us privacy. I turned to my parents, and it didn't help that they were both teary-eyed.

"You're going to do well," my mother said, trying valiantly to keep from crying. I knew she most likely wouldn't break down until after I had left. "Just promise me you'll be safe."

"I will," I promised, and hugged her.

"Keep your grades up," Dad said, then an attempt at humor: "Don't sic any rabid dogs on anyone."

I frowned; apparently he still didn't realize that I did actually feel bad about that, even though it had been my worst enemy I had killed.

He noticed my expression and moved on hurriedly, a bit sheepish. "Call often. We'll want to hear _everything_ about the school." He stepped forward and gave me a bear hug.

"Make some friends," Mom urged as I moved toward the door.

I grinned at her. "I'll try."

Then I was moving down the sidewalk backwards and waving at them, unsure of the next time I would get to see their faces.

I reached the car, and Miss Munroe popped the trunk. I put my two suitcases in, then got into the car. As she pulled away from my house, I sat in my seat silently, still self-conscious. I just didn't know what to say to the two of them.

It was strange feeling to watch the house I had known all my life slipping away behind us, then my street, and finally the whole town I had grown up in. In was a good ten minutes before Professor Xavier turned to look at me and said quietly, "Megan, you hardly spoke during the entire time we were at your house. Are you sure this is what you want?" Miss Munroe didn't look at either of us, but I could tell that she was listening closely. She had probably been wondering the same thing.

"Yes," I answered, injecting all the sureness I could muster into the response. "I want this."

_What's the real reason you want it, child?_

Dang it! I had forgotten that he could read my mind and knew what I was keeping hidden. I had to speak the truth aloud now. "Well," I admitted, a blush coloring my cheeks at the thought that I had been caught, "there that, but it's also my parents. I've heard of people doing awful things to those who are close to mutants." I couldn't repress a heavy sigh. "I don't want anything to happen to my mom and dad because of me."

Xavier gave me the gentle smile that I was fast learning was his specialty. "I understand your fears, Megan, and I'm glad you care for them so much, but your parents are going to be fine."

"That's good to know," I said halfheartedly. I couldn't help but worry; after all, they were the only people who really cared about me and the only ones who I cared about.

"Trust me," came the Professor's response to my unspoken comment. "You need to focus on yourself now. You're going to enjoy your time at the school, and when you have learned to control your powers you can return."

I wasn't sure about that but decided to drop the subject for the time being.

The rest of the trip was just a blur. Before I knew it, our plane had touched down in New York, and we had picked up a car and were driving through the countryside.

Soon we turned onto a long, tree-flanked drive.

"We're almost there," Miss Munroe said, and my heart sped up.

Was I really going to like the school? Would I get homesick? Would the other students like me? Would I like them? Would to classes be too hard - or too easy?

Then there was no more time to worry. When the car rounded a corner and the campus come into view, the sight wiped every other thought from my mind.

The only word to describe it was _amazing_. The bulk of the school was a huge, ivy-covered redbrick mansion, but there were also some smaller outbuildings like greenhouses and a garage. Between them, I spotted a basketball court and a pool. Professor Xavier had also told me that there was a lake somewhere nearby, off in the woods, with a boathouse and stables not to far off from that.

As we got out of the car, I was suddenly shy. A group of students a little younger than me was gathered near the front doors playing some sort of game. A rubber ball zoomed back and forth in the air between the four of them without being touched, probably by telekinesis. As we approached, they turned to look at us.

"Come along, and we'll show you to your room," Professor Xavier said, wheel himself toward the door. I followed.

Once inside, I was just impressed as I was with the grounds. The walls were all paneled with dark wood, an expensive oriental carpet ran the length of the hall, and a huge spiral staircase dominated the room. I realized that someone had paid an awful lot of money to build this place and felt honored that in a way it was just for me.

Suddenly shy in the face of all this grandeur, I turned to ask the Professor where to go, but he wasn't looking at me. His eyes head a far away, distracted cast to them, and his mouth was partly open as if in surprise. I thought he might have been communicating with someone telepathically and wondered with a fierce curiosity who it was and what was going on. It must have been something pretty important to disrupt Xavier's ever-calm presence like that.

"Professor?" Miss Munroe asked in concern. Her gaze slid to me, her look saying that I probably shouldn't be seeing this, and I looked away, embarrassed.

Because of my curiosity, though, I couldn't manage that for long. A few moments later, I turned back and the Professor was normal again. He had pulled the mask of his smooth smile back down over the upset and pointed it in my direction.

"I'm sorry, but something's come up. Miss Munroe will take to your room." He glanced at her. "Then join me in my office, please."

"Right away, Professor." He nodded and rolled himself away down the hall. The woman grinned at me in sort of a strained way and said, "This way; the student's quarters are upstairs." She turned and led me toward the grand staircase.

At the top, we turned and headed to the left. I could feel nervousness rising in me as we walked down a long hallway with sturdy oak doors on either side. I knew I would have roommates, and I wondered if they would like me. What if we didn't get along? That would make living here so much harder. The other half of my mind told me to stop thinking that, though. Why set myself up? Probably the girls I was going to be staying with were great people and we would be the best of friends.

I didn't miss the distracted looks Miss Munroe was constantly throwing over her shoulder. I knew that she wanted to leave and go find out what was going on with the Professor. I didn't blame her; I was aching with curiously, too, but seeing as I was only a student, and a new one at that, I wasn't likely to find out anytime soon.

"You can go if you want," I told her, and she stopped short to turn and look at me. "Just show me where my room is, and I'll be fine from there."

A smile smoothed over her face. "I don't want to rush you," she said. "But if you're all right with that, it would be wonderful."

I nodded, and we started off again. A little ways down the hall we stopped at a door that looked no different than all of the others except for golden numbers spelling out 26 attached to it. Miss Munroe looked down at me and said, "This is it. If you need anything, just ask someone to bring you to my office, and I'll do what I can."

"Thank you," I said, but when I turned to look at her she was already halfway back down the hall. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward and opened the door to my new room.


	4. Meet the Roommates

**Chapter Three: Meet the Roommates**

The first thing that caught my attention was the two girls inside - my roommates. One was redheaded, green-eyed, and looked energetic and fun just sitting on her bed beside the door. The other was her exact opposite: quiet and thoughtful as she sat in the opposite corner of the room reading what looked like a large encyclopedia. Her hair was long, platinum blonde, and pin straight; if it hadn't been for the book, she would have looked decidedly like a preppy snob.

As it was, she looked up and gave me a friendly smile, and started to speak was was cut off as the red-haired girl jumped up and came toward me.

"Who are you?" the she asked brightly.

"Rori!" the other girl cried, setting down her book and standing up. "That wasn't very polite." It was spoken as a friend, but also as if this sort of thing were a common occurrence between the two.

"Aw, lay off, Pallas," the other girl said lightly, though she used a more polite voice when she next spoke to me. "I've never seen you before. You must be our new roommate. Professor X said we might be getting one. What's your name?"

"It's M-Megan Barnes," I told her, trying to disguise the tremor in my voice. Though she seemed very nice, her supremely outgoing mannor had me a bit nervous. "And yours?"

"Rori Adams," she said, grabbing my hand and shaking it enthusiastically as her shoulder-length waves bounced up and down. "This is our other roommate-"

"Pallas Bronson," the blonde girl said, coming up and shaking my hand much more politely. "You'll haveto forgive Rori. She can get a bit excited at times."

"You'll have to forgive Pallas," Rori retorted. "She can be a bit _boring_at times." Pallas glared at her, and the other girl stuck her tongue out playfully.

I couldn't help but grin. At least life with these two was sure to be anything but boring.

"So, what's your ability?" Rori asked suddenly.

I looked away. I didn't really want to talk about it, but I knew I would have to eventually if I was going to be living with these girls.

"Rori," Pallas said warningly, nudging her friend. She had seen my mood change and was trying to make me feel better.

"No, it's all right," I said. "You see, I'm not exactly sure. I guess it's something to do with controlling animals. I…ah, discovered that I was a mutant by setting a dog on a boy who was teasing me a few weeks ago." I hesitated to tell the rest, but finally pushed on. "It killed him."

"You're a murderer?" Rori's eyes lit up, and her voice was full of awe. "That's amazing!"

"Rori Louisa Adams!" Pallas's face was so full of horror that I couldn't help but giggle. After a moment, the blonde girl cracked a smile too, and Rori joined in as well.

"But really," Rori insisted when the three of us had calmed down again. "You killed someone?"

"Accidentally," I told them. "I was just really upset, and suddenly the dog ran up and was biting him, and…" I trailed off, shaking my head at the memory of the blood and his screams.

"I'm sorry. It's fine that you don't want to talk about," Pallas said understandingly.

I smiled gratefully at her. I was glad that this fact didn't seem to disturb them at all. I would have thought that hearing I had discovered my powers by killing someone would have freaked anyone out, but maybe it was more common than I knew. "Anyway, what's your ability?"

"I'll show you mine!" Rori cut in enthusiastically. "Do you have anything you can afford to lose?"

Curious, I rummaged in my pocket and came up with a candy wrapper. "Will this work?" I asked her.

"Yep. Watch this." She squinted at the wrapper sitting in my hand, her brow wrinkling. For a moment nothing happened. Then it disappeared. One moment the little paper was in my hand, and the next it was gone.

I gasped and jumped back. I had never seen anything like that before in my life! How had she done it.

Rori laughed aloud and thrust her hand at me. "Call me Dyspar."

Hesitantly, I shook it. "So you can make things disappear?"

She nodded. "Only nonliving things, though. So you don't have to worry about me making you disappear if we get into a fight." She winked at me.

I swallowed. I hadn't thought of that, but now that she mentioned it, I was glad she couldn't. Maybe my parents and I had been wrong about me coming here. Maybe this school would be more dangerous than we thought…

"Wait, did you just say Dyspar? I thought you said your name was Rori," I asked in confusion.

The redhead giggled again as Pallas stepped up to answer my question. "Her name is Rori," the blonde explained, "but everyone at the school has a nickname, something related to their powers. Because Rori can make things disappear, she decided to call herself Dyspar."

"Oh." That made sense. "What's your name?" I asked.

Pallas smiled. "I'm Recall. My power is what you might call perfect memory. Anything I see, hear, or read I remember forever."

"Yeah, you might guess that she's a straight-A student," Rori added a little bitterly.

Pallas shrugged. "That's true. I never have to study, but I don't brag about it. I still have to learn and understand something in the first place, just like everyone else. I just always remember it after that."

"Wow, that's useful." I hadn't really realized up until now just have varied mutant abilities could be. From Pallas's useful permanent memory to my ability to control animals, the possibilities seemed endless.

"So what's the rest of your story?" Rori asked.

"The rest?" I echoed, unsure of what she meant.

"You know, what happened after that. How you end up here?"

"Oh. Well, that was like a week ago. I'd been mostly staying home since then, because obviously no one wanted to see me outside. No one trusted me. Then this morning I was just watching TV, and all of the sudden this car pulled up and Professor Xavier and Miss Munroe got out. They told my parents about this place, and Mom and Dad agreed to let me come. It was really fast, but I wanted to come. I was afraid that if people found out I was a mutant, my parents would get hurt. I'm hoping that by coming here I can protect them."

Rori nodded. "That's nice of you, but you've got to think of yourself, too. Did you really want to come here?" She seemed honestly interested and curious. It felt good to have someone to actually talk to when it seemed that I had never had a true friend before.

"Well," I admitted, "a lot of it was because of that, but I _am_ excited about being here. I can't wait to learn more about my abilities and make friends that are like - like you guys." I grinned at them. "So what about you guys? How did you end up here?"

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I knew that I had done something wrong. Rori immediately turned to look at Pallas, who had a stricken expression on her face. Before I had a chance to ask what the matter was, the blonde girl gave a strained smile, said "Sorry, I have to go," and quickly left the room."

I blinked, unnerved by her sudden departure. Turning back to Rori, I asked curiously, "What was that?"

"I haveno idea," she answered, her eyes wide and innocent- a little too innocent.

She was keeping something from me, and it rankled, but I knew I should expect her to share. After all, we had just met. We weren't best friends or anything. "I'm sorry if I said something to offend her," I said honestly. "I was just curious."

"It's all right. I think she just has a class now that she forgot about when you got here." It was a lie. For all her bubbly personality, I could already tell that Rori was a bad liar. I tried to ignore it.

"Well, how did you come to be here?"

"I was a lot like you," the girl said, jumping on the new subject all too eagerly. "I'd been making things mysteriously disappear since I was little, three or four years old I think. It didn't take my parents long to figure out that I was mutant. I grew up knowing about it, and I was never ashamed." She shrugged and gave me a genuine smile. "In fact, I was kind off proud, though of course I never told anyone what I was. When I was old enough, two years ago, my parents told me about this school for mutants they had heard of. I was so excited to come here and learn about my abilities and meet other kids like me, like you mentioned. They had guessed I would say that, so they had saved money for my tuition and room and board. A few weeks later I was on a plane, and I've been here ever since."

I was about to comment on this story, when I suddenly heard a strange noise. It was like a mechanical humming growing louder and louder every moment, and it sounded like it was coming from outside. I ran over to the window and looked out - and gasped at what I saw.

A little ways away from the window was a basketball court, but not just any basketball court. This one was _moving_. A crack had appeared in the middle, and the two halves were slowly but surely moving apart. When they had opened all the way, a long, dark shape rose out and disappeared against the night sky.

"What was _that_?" I asked in amazement, turning back to Rori and hoping she knew what had just happened.

She was smiled like someone who was in a secret, so I knew right away that she did. "That's just the X-jet."

"The _what?"_

"The X-jet," she said, grinning at my total loss. "It's a private jet that the X-men go out on." She went on before I could ask what that meant. "The X-men are the Professor's sort of mutant superheroes. They go out on the jet sometimes to bring in new students under special circumstances, save the world, you know, that sort of thing."

All I could do was blink. More than ever, I now realized that this school was going to be nothing like any that I was used to.

**AN:**Just have to add quickly, thanks to Mom the Magnificent for helping me come up with Rori's codename.


End file.
